Friday, November 28, 2008

Just list the bad stuff, OK?

…Sam Roe, Chicago Trib, says manufacturers and regulators are letting mislabeled foods on shelves—and kids are dying or sick as a result.

…Let’s cut this out. What do ya say?

…Here’s what they do. They wait and see if something happens to some kid before they change the labeling.

…According to flaw, major allergens such as peanuts, milk, eggs, and wheat must be listed on the label—but surprise, often are present anyway!

…Ironically, this happens most with kid food such as Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Jell-O, and Spaghetteos. These have all been recalled for hidden allergens.

…The Trib created a database of 2,800 food recalls related to allergies over the past 10 yrs.

…Five products a week are pulled because they can make people with allergies sick.

…One little kid noted in the article had a severe gluten allergy and his Mom had checked on some nuggets—yup, "gluten free." In a second, he was coughing, his eyes swelled, and he could not breathe. His Mom jabbed him full of epinephrine and he recovered in the ER. Still—panic, ER, expense, fear, sleepless night…

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About Me

I am a long-time freelance health and science reporter, screenwriter, and blogger. My work has appeared in venues from the Costco Connection to Washingtonian and WebMD. I also used to teach creativity at the Smithsonian.